Mechanical toy



Nov. 29, 1927.

J. J. BECKER MECHANICAL TOY Filled Feb. 21, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEY J. J. BECKER MECHANICAL TOY Filed Feb'. 21, 1927 Nov. 29, l1927.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 29, 1927.

' UNITED lSTATES .TQHN J'. BECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.y 1

MECHANICAL TOY.

Application led February 21, 1927. Serial No. 170,015.

This invention relates to mechanical toys. One object of the invention is to provide a wheeled toy wherein characters in circus performances are characteristically displayed 1n appearance and action, particularly for the amusement of children.

Another object is to provide a wheeled toy of the nature stated, embodying among other characteristicapcircus or other performers mounted for characteristic demonstration or .action and which are set into motionffrom the runningugear of the toy as it is rolled over a surface. Y 1 A still further object. resides in the provision of av wheeled toy embodying a carriage andl a. support rising therefrom with iigures'or objects ysupported above ythe-carriagerto be revolved inat. least'one. instance, and in. other instances simultaneously revolved and rotated or tumbled. With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists. in the construction and novelv arrangement. of parts hereinafter .described vand set forth in the appended Y claims, it being understood that. various changes in the. form, proportiomand minor details of construction, within the scope of V the claims, maybe resorted to without departing from the. spirit of the invention or sacrificing any Vof its advantages.

In the drawings: l y Figurel is a view,V partly in section and partly inelevation.` Y Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the circus master andV clowns removed.

Fig.. 3 is affragmentary front elevation of l, .one of the clowns. i

Fig. 4- is a cross sectional View' through the standard, or post showing the fastening Referring now more particularly to thel accompanying drawings, the reference character A indicates a carriage, embodying a flanged body 6 yof sheet metal or any other suitable material, provided adjacent its ends with pairs of wheels 7 and 8- mounted on suitable axles 9V and 10, respectively,v the s shaft 9 carrying a beveled gear 11 fora purpose presently explained. A wood or other post 12 rises from the body vof the carriage, preferably centrally thereof, and it may be means foi securing theiixed gear at the top rotation of the shafts 30 and 31.

-secured to the body of the carriagel in any.

suitable manner. As shown, the post hasV a marginal flange 13 at its lower endthrough which,y and the body, suitable fastening devices 11i may be employed to effect a substantial mounting connection between the post and the body of the carriage.

The post 12 is provided with a longitudinal bore 15 and a. beveled gear 16 is fixedly mounted upon the upper end of the post and provided with a central opening 17 which.

aligns with the bore 15 of the post. The fixed connection between the beveled gear 16 and the top, of the post mayA be effected by suitable fastenings 18. or otherwise., f

A circus master is indicated at B. The.

body 19- of the circus master is preferably formed of wood, and this wood body, including the head, is provided with a high hat andl frock coat, and has fixed arms 2O and 21 secured to the body 19, the hand 22 0f the arm 2Ol carrying a whip 23.

A shaft 24 preferably sopla-re in cross section and pointedL at its upper end, is driven wellinto the body 19 of the circus master from the under side thereof and extends Y downwardly through the opening 17 in -the fixed beveled gear 16 and through the bore 15 of the post 1 2 to a point under the body 6 of the carriage A and is supported in such position by said circus master body 19.

A metal hangers() is secured intermediate its ends. as at 25, to the underside of the circus master body 19, by` means. of suitable v.fastenings 26. This hangerl C has vertical depending portions 27 and outwardly directed horizontal portions 28 which terminate at their outer ends in upturned portions 29 aligning with the depending portionsr 2,7.

Shafts 30 and 31 are journaled in bearings 32 in theycooperating portions 27 and 28 of the hanger C.V These shafts are square in cross section and the bearings 32 are circular but large enough in cross section to permit Beveled gears 33 and 34 are keyed one to the inner end of each of the shafts 30 an'd'31, respectively, and these gears are held within the depending portions 27 of the hanger C in mesh with the adjacent fixed. gear 16 on the top of the post 12. If thislixed gear 16 is of a form-other than a beveled gear, the

' gear-s on theshafts would'vbe of corresponding type for cooperation therewith. In any event, the outer ends of the shafts 30and 31 are pointed as shown, so as toY be readily driven into a wood body 35 of a figure representing a clown or other character. These shafts 30 and 31 being square in cross section, the connection between them and the bodies 35 of. the clowns or other figures is such as to prevent accidental turning of the figures on the shafts. Arms 36 are secured to each body 35 of the clowns or other ligures for swinging movement, aud this may be accomplished by mounting said arms 36 on a cord 37 passing longitudinally through the arms 36 and transversely through the body 35 of each clown or other figure. A bell 38 may be secured to the body of each clown or other figure to ring as the arms of the clown or other figure swing as the body tumbles under the influence of rotation of the shafts 30 and 31. The operation of the toy is such that the shafts 30 and 31 revolve horizontally and carry the clowns or other figures 35 around with them. The clowns or other figures, yduring this revolving movement, are caused to rotate or tumble in substantially vertical planes.

To operate the shafts 30 and 31 to give the vactions stated immediately above, the shaft 24 is driven to revolve the circus master B and consequently give similar movement to the hanger C, carried by the circus master body. As the hanger C is thus revolved, and as it carries the shafts 30 and 31 and the respective gears 33 and 34, and the latter being in mesh with the fixed gear 16, the

shafts 30 and 31 are rotated in opposite directions and rotate or tumble the clowns or other bodies, and accordingly, jingling the bells 38, carried by the clowns.

*f The shaft 40 is driven from thefront carriage axle 9 on which the aforesaid beveled gear 11 is fixed. This gear 11 meshes with a beveled gear 39 on the outer end of a drive shaft 40 journaled in a suitable hanger 41 riveted or otherwise secured to the underside of the body 6 of the carriage. A beveled gear 42 on the inner end of the drive shaft 40 meshes with a beveled gear 43 on the lower end of the ydriven shaft 24, therlatter extending through an opening in the body of the carriage A. Y

Thus as the toy or device is rolled on its wheels over a surface, therotatable `front axle imparts rotative movement to the drive shaft 40 through the gear mechanism 11-39. and the drive shaft imparts rotative movement to the'driven shaft 24 through the medium of the gear mechanism 4243 to revolve the circus master body 19. As the latter revolves it causes the hanger C, fiXed thereto, to revolve with it. As the clown body carryingshafts are journaled in the hanger @,they also revolve with the hanger carrying the clowns or other figures 35 around in a circle, and while thus being carried around in a circle, the clowns are given fa' continuous tumbling action, due to roof the shafts 30 and 31.

tation of the shafts 30 and 31 incident to their gears 33 and 34, respectively, operating over the .fixed gear 16 at the top of the post 12. The hanger C, being fixed tothe body B supports all of the device abovethe carriage, and also supports the driven shaft To ull the carriage A over a surface a clowns 35 may be carried by the outer ends For instance, a device D such as shown in Fig. 5 may be substituted for the clowns. This device D, has a hub 47'to be fitted on the outer ends ofthe shafts`30 and 31 and provided with radial arms 48 carrying spherical shaped members 49 at their outer ends.

The figures may be variously colored to suit the nature or characteristics of the clowns, circus master, or other characters, and where figures or objects other than vrepr'esentative -of humans are employed the same may be colored as desired for kattractiveness.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a wheeled carriage and supporting means rising from the carriage, a vertical shaft eX- tending upwadly through the carriage and through and beyond said. supporting means, i

a member pierced by the upper end vof said shaft whereby to secure said memberfixedly to the shaft above the supporting means, Ta

hanger fiXedly secured to the bottom of said member and supported thereby and which depends therefrom in spaced relation to said supporting means and including an inverted U-shaped body portion and oppositely directed arms projecting from said body por-v zontal alignment and having their vinnerV ends spaced from each other, a member fixedly mounted on the outer end of each horizontal shaft, means operatively connected to said vertical shaft, whereby Vupon rolling motionof the carriage the vertical shaft is rotated and the first mentioned member carried by the vertical .shaft is also-rotated and said hanger revolved, and means v'vhereby.

uponsaid rolling motion of the carriage said horizontal shafts are rotated in opposite directlons asthey are carried around` by the revolving hanger to rotate the members With the horizontal shafts in opposite directions and in vertical planes.

2. In a device of the character described, a Wheeled carriage and supporting,` means rising from the carriage, a vertical shaft extending through the carriage and through said supporting means, a member secured fixedly to the shaft at the upper end thereof above the supporting means, a hanger iiXedly secured to the bottom of said mem-.

ber for support thereby and depending therefrom in spaced relation to said supporting means and including oppositely extending arms, oppositely disposed straight shafts journaled in the hanger and arranged l horizontally7 in parallelism With the arms of t-he hanger, a member fixedly secured on the outer end of each horizontal shaft, means whereby upon rolling motion of the carriage the vertical shaft is rotated to revolve the member carried thereby and also to revolve said hanger, and means operatively connected with the horizontal shafts, whereby upon said rollingmotion of the carriage the horizontal shafts are rotated in opposite directions as they are carried around by the hanger so as to rotate the members in vertical planes and in opposite directions during revolution of the hanger in the manner aforesaid.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' JOHN J. BECKER. 

